


The Other Side Of Thomas Barrow

by 51stcenturygirl



Series: My future is our future and I will spend it with you [8]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Allies, Bonfire Night, Humor, Laughter, M/M, Romance, Thomas never laughed in the tv series only the movie, evening phone calls, implied shell shock, sweet and tender conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29684046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/51stcenturygirl/pseuds/51stcenturygirl
Summary: Phyllis Baxter overhears a phone call between Thomas and Richard and observes how Thomas changes around him.Takes place between 'In Thirty Years, I'll Still Love You' and the next multi-chapter story of mine yet to be published on here.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Series: My future is our future and I will spend it with you [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077305
Kudos: 29





	The Other Side Of Thomas Barrow

It was a cold afternoon at the beginning of November, and despite it only being around four in the afternoon, it was already getting dark enough for the lamps to be needed in the servants hall where Phyllis Baxter was sitting with her sewing machine. She was fixing a few things and was quite happy doing so, going at her own pace with no one to bother her. It was the sort of work that could be found to be relaxing if one is in the correct frame of mind. She was the only one sitting in the room, others would occasionally come in to fetch something or walk past the open doorway. It was quiet enough to concentrate but not so quite, on account of the background noise from other rooms, that she felt alone.

The other noise that came as a pleasant surprise to her was the sound of their butler and friend, Thomas Barrow, whistling as he went about his work. He had been busy today putting preparations in place for the annual bonfire night celebrations that happened on the 5th of November. This year the bonfire would be held on Downton grounds in a clearing in one of the woodlands on the estate. The original idea was to have had it on the lawns, but the head groundskeeper had not been too pleased with such a suggestion as it would have left a large blackened area on the otherwise pristine lawns. Thomas had returned from speaking with him about fifteen minutes ago and judging by the fact that he had been whistling on and off ever since, she reckoned all was going to plan. "Who is that whistling?" Charlotte, the maid and sometimes kitchen assistant asked, popping into the servants hall for a moment.

"Mr Barrow, I believe," Phyllis said.

"Oh. Never knew he could whistle. Never heard him before. It's nice though, rather tuneful," Charlotte said, leaving the room again.

Charlotte was right. It was a lovely sound, not one that she or anyone else had heard many times from Thomas. It was only more recently that he had been in the right mood to whistle to himself as he worked. Charlotte could have been forgiven for not knowing he could whistle. That is how rare it is.

...

A few hours later, just after the table had been cleared after their evening meal, and Thomas had left the room rather urgently when the telephone in his office had rung. Phyllis had a pretty good idea as to who it was that Thomas was so eager to speak too at this hour. These days Richard Ellis was only a mile or so away in the village at the flat above a bookshop that he ran, where Thomas lived as well. However, Richard had been away in London for a couple of days on business, and was due to call this evening. Phyllis felt happy that both men were secure enough in their relationship that they could spend a few days apart and not miss each other too badly. That being said though, Thomas had only been half listening when she spoke to him earlier during tea, as he was listening out for the telephone's ring.

A laugh came from the direction of Thomas's office. This was an even rarer sound. So much so that Phyllis had to think about who's voice that laugh belonged to for a second or two before realising it was Thomas. Before Richard came into Thomas's life, Phyllis really struggled to think of a moment where Thomas had laughed a genuinely happy laugh. Thomas just didn't laugh before he came along. Even when she knew him as a boy he didn't laugh that much, and even less so when he became older. She supposed that in his life, he hasn't had many reasons to laugh. It was a sad thought, but now she has heard him laugh like this, she decided that Thomas Barrow has a nice laugh.

"You ended up where?" Phyllis heard Thomas say, before laughing again. She could imagine him leaning back in his chair. The door to his office was still open slightly. "Hang on, you mean to tell me that Mr 'I-know-London-like-the-back-of-my-hand' managed to get himself lost and on the wrong side of the city entirely?" The relaxed way that Thomas spoke, made him sound like a different person.

There was silence whilst Richard spoke on the other end of the line. "Wimbledon? How did you manage that?" Thomas asked him.

"You idiot," Thomas said lightly, after a few more moments of silence. Phyllis knew she shouldn't really be listening in on his telephone conversations. It is considered bad manners generally, but she couldn't help but be curious. "Getting the wrong platform is something I would do. I suppose you made it in the end?" Thomas asked.

"Oh good," Thomas said. Phyllis didn't hear much more after that due to one of the bells going off, noise from the kitchen and Mrs Patmore shouting something, but several minutes later things quieted down and she could hear him again.

"Don't worry about me darling, I ate at Downton tonight," she heard Thomas say in a soft, tender tone that she wouldn't associate with him normally. It was touching hearing Thomas refer to Richard as 'darling'. "Richard, I'll be fine. I am a grown man as you well know, so I can take care of myself."

Phyllis felt as if she shouldn't be listening in on this anymore, it was too personal between them. "You will be back in time for the celebrations tomorrow though won't you?" Thomas asked. "Oh good. And you sure that you'll be okay with the fireworks? We could leave before if-" Thomas was cut off as Richard said something. "I know, I just wanted to be sure."

A few more noises of people on the stairs outside Thomas's office blocked the sound from their conversation, so that Phyllis missed some of the rest. "Okay, I'll see you then. Say hello to Izzie for me," Thomas said. "Alright. See you soon, I love you. Goodnight," Thomas ended the call.

After a few minutes, Thomas came into the servants hall and took up his usual spot in the rocking chair by the fireplace with the paper. "Mr Ellis okay?" Phyllis asked Thomas.

"He is well thank you. He will be back tomorrow afternoon. How did you know who I was talking to?" Thomas said.

"I guessed firstly, and also I heard a bit of your conversation with him," Phyllis said. "You left the door slightly open. I was going to close it for you but I didn't want to disturb you both."

"How much did you hear?" Thomas asked, though he did not sound angry.

"Some of it, on and off, when it was quiet around here. I shouldn't have I know."

"It's okay, I'd rather you hear than someone else."

"You didn't say anything too incriminating from what I heard so don't worry about it," Phyllis said. The bell for Lady Grantham sounded. "I should go. I'll say goodnight, if you're gone by the time I come back down again."

"Goodnight Miss Baxter," Thomas said.

...

"How was London, Mr Ellis?" Phyllis asked as she walked with him, Thomas and Mr Molesley out to the bonfire the next evening.

"Interesting," Richard said. "Visited a few places of inspiration for my shop, made a few deals. Even stopped by  _ Selfridges  _ again, they have a rather lovely book department. Harry Selfridge knows his stuff that's for sure.

"You spoke to Harry Selfridge?" Thomas asked. "You didn't mention that on the telephone yesterday."

Richard chuckled. "Well he didn't give much away, it wouldn't be wise to share too many of his secrets of success with someone he didn't know. I just mentioned that I had a little shop of my own. I did say though I had no grand plans on expanding the place and I am very happy with what I have already," he said, catching Thomas's eye.

"You get any ideas though?" Thomas asked.

"A few, Mr Barrow, a few," he said as they walked on through the darkness.

...

The bonfire was rather impressive, crackling and spitting up flames and embers as it reached new sources of fuel in the mound of timber that was built for the occasion. It was very chilly, and Phyllis pulled her coat around her tightly, and looked up at the smoke that was rising through the sky up towards the stars above. She was happily listening to Mr Molesley explaining the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot to her in detail, when she looked to her left in front of her towards Richard and Thomas who were standing close together, silhouetted by the brightness of the bonfire's flames. She didn't think anyone else noticed but she did. She saw the way they edged closer together, how Thomas's right hand moved closer to Richard's left and how their hands gently became entangled. She wasn't even sure if they realised what they were doing, or if it was so natural for them that the action didn't need to be thought about. She only knew that she wished more people would see it as natural too.

**Author's Note:**

> I had got the idea for this little story from a thought I had- that apart from in the movie, it's very hard to think of a moment where Thomas actually properly laughs.


End file.
